The department

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Welcome to the

Department of Language & Intercultural Studies

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

The DLIS is the only department in Greece that offers a joint programme of study in language and intercultural studies , aiming at promoting research in applied linguistics, cultural and intercultural studies and literature. Particularly important in this approach is the learning of some of the world’s most widely spoken languages, such as Arabic, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese, as well as the opportunity for practical training aimed at moving from theory to practice and familiarising students with new professional areas and perspectives for work and research.

The teaching and administrative staff of our Department and I, personally, are at the disposal of all students for facilitating their studies in every possible way, so that they are capable of responding to the highly demanding modern transnational and multilingual working environments by providing an innovative and dynamic programme of studies. Its programme of studies offers contemporary and high-quality scientific knowledge through the systematic familiarisation of our students with scientific thinking and applied research. Our vision is summed up in the triptych of interdisciplinarity-comparative arts- translanguaging for a more inclusive society.

Enjoy browsing the website and the activities of the Department with commitment to our goal of providing high quality studies and research.

Establishment and Scope

The Department of Language & Intercultural Studies was founded by Law 4589/2019 (Government Gazette 13 / 29.01.2019, vol. A ‘) and admitted its first students in the academic year 2019-20, in the city of Volos. The Department is temporarily housed in Deligiorgi building (27th Glavani and 28th October Str.) covering a total area of 1,800.00 sq.m., which is located in the center of Volos, until the construction of the new building facilities in the area of the “Vamvakourgia” industrial property in the area of Nea Ionia (Volos) is completed.

The Department provides specialization in a dynamic interdisplinary field of knowledge emerging from the restructuring of humanities and mostly of language and cultural studies within the contemporary globalized context of creation, production and communication of knowledge and information. The Department responds to the challenges which arise in the contemporary field of intercultural and transnational communication and intercultural relationships. These challenges concern the internal cohesion and composition of Western societies, transnational working and production environments as well as the growing need for multilevel communication with geographical regions, linguistic and cultural contexts outside the western world. In the current international context, language and intercultural education in Greece are of high priority based on the strategic geopolitical planning of the country and its future prospects. Education in languages of the Middle East and Far East is more urgent nowadays than ever.

The Department of Language and Intercultural Studies comes to address this need by providing a programme of studies which promotes applied language studies and combines language and cultural education and transnational studies with an in-depth focus on issues of comparative history and literature, intercultural communication, critical theory, studies of diversity, theories of globalization and global systems, intercultural education and work in transnational environments. The Department combines contemporary scientific subjects with excellent prospects in research and the labor market for its graduates. The demand for professionals who have knowledge of languages and cultures, especially of the Middle and Far East, is expected to be high and constant in fields such as tourism, trade, interpretation, transnational contacts, research, scientific cooperation, etc. The Department of Language & Intercultural Studies will create multiple synergies by utilizing the existing infrastructure of the Departments of the School of Humanities & Social Sciences of the University of Thessaly, especially the laboratories concerned with interculturalism and pedagogical applications of language education.